Welcome to KWC Political Science and Legal Studies! My name is Eric Schmidt, I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science and the Program Coordinator of both the Political Science and Legal Studies programs. I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For my undergraduate instruction I attended Hope College, a small liberal arts school similar to KWC. At Hope, I majored in philosophy and politics. Upon finishing, torn between a PhD or a JD, I chose to pursue a PhD in Political Science at Louisiana State University. At LSU, I wrote my PhD thesis under Professor James R. Stoner, Jr. on American journalist Walter Lippmann and American political thought. I began my professorship at KWC in 2017 and I hope to spend my career here. I feel deeply blessed to be at an institution that cares about the liberal arts and I am passionate about passing that experience on to my students. I also enjoy serving as our Pre-Law Advisor and Fellowship Advisor for nationally competitive scholarship programs. In 2020 I married my wife, Avery. She is an Owensboro native, a KWC alum, and a recently graduated PharmD from the University of Kentucky. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors, basketball, baseball, fishing, video games (strategy and RPGs), fitness, art, and literature. Research Interests American Politics and Political Institutions; Political Philosophy; History of Political Thought; Public Opinion and Mass Politics; Literature and Politics; Philosophy; Phenomenology; 20th Century Political Philosophy; Religion and Politics.